Writing is hard work!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
About student writers:
It’s hard work to write a good persuasive essay. And that is OK. Student writers come in many varieties.
Some students think fluently and write as they think. This type of essay is a no-brainer for them in terms of content. But be forewarned, fluent thinkers - You tend to overwrite. Editing to delete is a must.
Other students think in spurts and brain clicks. These students have difficulty with the essay form. It takes time, planning, and revision for them to do their best. But be confident, spurt-thinkers - You get there in the end. Editing for organization is a must.
Some students think in big pictures, jumping to a conclusion without making a good argument. These students also have difficulty with the essay form, but they tend to write great scenarios. Be confident, big-picture-thinkers - You get there quickly when you know the path. Editing the first and second paragraphs so that the path is clear is a must.
Some students prefer to think as little as possible. These students don’t have much to say, so they have BIG problems with the essay form. Be more confident, little-thinking students - you can learn tricks to help you find and make ideas. But writing is going to be hard work.
Jump-starting thinking, and teaching “100% language” for writing about ideas, is what our Warm-ups are focused on. We are doing this by again writing in our Journals daily, immediately after our SSR.
Today’s Warm-up:
Imagine the world without _________________________. (Fill-in the blank and then write at least 3 sentences that expand or build upon the idea).
Some ideas for expanding:
1. Slippery Slope - build an escalating argument showing the negative or positive results of the disappearance of this object or idea.
2. If....then - focus on one specific consequence and talk only about that
3. List - list probable, unrelated consequences (relating consequences makes a Slippery Slope). This is hard to do well - be clever and use figures of speech, metaphors, etc. Hint: Everything on the list has to be TRUE or possible.
What we have learned:
We have been going through the L-O-O-N-G process of planning, writing, editing, rewriting with this essay. The end result is less important than the knowledge students gain about:
1. How they can best organize their thoughts - We used a digital planning form. It was a disaster for some, but the printed planner was a success (if it was used).
2. How much they can write in a 50 minute time period - Some students have learned that they are too easily distracted when it “counts” and/or they too often distract others.
3. How good sentences link together - With few exceptions, we are writing good sentences!! But getting them in the best form, and the best order (fluency) is tough.
It’s OK to find writing hard work. But it’s not OK not to do your best to complete the work in the time allowed.
